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Monday, June 3, 2013

{Happy Birthday}, a Give-Away, and some ramblings...

No, not to me, but to Gift of Simplicity! Tomorrow, June 4, marks the second year of this blog! In honor of this, I am doing my Very First Give-Away!

Do you like this Vintage Reproduction Postcard?

Or do you like this one?

Or how about this card?

Or what about this one?

Or better yet, how about One Dozen cards, three of each design?

I think the final option is the best, don't you? (I hope so, because that is the Give-Away.)Here is how to enter this Drawing:For each of the following steps you complete, you will receive one entry. Complete one, get one entry; complete five, get five entries--you get the point.

1. Leave me a comment on this post (and tell me how many of the following you were able to complete).2. Share your favorite recipe from this blog on Pinterest.3. "Like" my blog page on Facebook-- use this link: Gift of Simplicity .4. Share my blog page on your Facebook page.5. Follow me on Pinterest. 6. Tweet this blog.7. Share on Google+.8. Share through another form of social media (LinkedIn, etc.).9. If you are new to this blog, let me know who sent you and you BOTH will receive an extra entry.

Now, I will need you to leave me a comment telling me how many steps you were able to complete. I don't Tweet, use Google+, or LinkedIn, so I'm trusting you to be honest! :) I'm not techy and haven't figured out how to use those cool little gadgets, so this will be done to the absolute best of my ability to be accurate, but will depend on you telling me how many entries you completed. I will have an extremely unbiased person (my 4-year-old) draw the winner from a paper bag.

This Give-Away is open to residents of the USA and Canada, and closes at Midnight, June 10th, 2013. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Here on the home front, things have been busy. School has been out for two weeks and in this two weeks we have had dentist appointments, a really cool 3-day writing class (for the boys)/geo-draw (for big sister)/play camp (for little one), a day in town with the boys-whew!, a sewing day, a blue-berry picking day (3 moms, 10 kids, 2 hours, 165 lb. blueberries).

I'm tired.

This coming Sunday will be the boys' 11-year birthday, so that means a celebration! And then Church Conference on Father's Day weekend, so this means that any posts this month will be what I can get completed today and scheduled to post throughout the month.

And here is the final Tea Party recipe:

Buttermilk Almond Scones

with Devonshire Cream

For the Scones:

2 Cups Flour

1 Tablespoon Baking Powder

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Salt

6 Tablespoons Cold Butter

1/2 Cup Buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon Almond Flavoring

1 Egg, separated

For the Glaze:

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar

1/4 teaspoon Almond Flavoring

1 Tablespoon Milk, or as needed

For the Devonshire Cream:

8 ounces Cream Cheese, softened

2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

For Garnish:

Turbinado or Raw Sugar

Sliced Almonds

For the Scones:

Preheat oven to 400*. Mix dry ingredients. Cut in Butter until coarse. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients; pour in Buttermilk, Egg Yolk, and Almond Flavoring. Mix together gently, until dough clings together and is sticky. DO NOT OVER MIX. Turn out onto a floured surface and shape 6-8 inches around. Cut into pie wedges or use a favorite cookie cutter. Handle as little as possible. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush lightly with beaten Egg White and sprinkle with Turbinado Sugar. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Cool completely; frost with Glaze and sprinkle with Sliced Almonds. Serve with Devonshire Cream. Makes 8 to 10 scones, depending on cookie cutter size.

For the Glaze:

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.

For the Devonshire Cream:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer if desired. Serve with Scones. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Also yummy on bagels.

Carolyn-I love antique post cards, especially those with a nod to God but alas I read your recipes and dream only.(Dietary restraints have limited cooking options). I take joy in your joy for cooking and confess to using your creativity to tweak my recipes. So I can't enter your contest but applaud your efforts!

I follow you on FB and pinterest. We have enjoyed your recipes many times. Our favorite one is the honey lime chicken with coconut rice. The cards are beautiful and would be so fun to win them. Thanks for all your hard work!

Carolyn ~ I just discovered you and your blog from a friend's comment (Jennifer L. Ahlswede) on fb. I have everything on hand and will be making the delicious looking scones soon. I, too, really enjoy greeting cards, especially vintage ones. Sending them is becoming a lost "art" since the internet came along. I particularly love that honoring Jesus Christ is the focus of your blog! I will be following you on fb, Pinterest and checking on your blog often. God bless you!